Museum employee held over bomb lodges bail application

Simon O'Donovan, an employee of the National Museum, has lodged a High Court bail application as he seeks release from custody. O'Donovan, 44, has been detained since July in connection with the seizure of an explosive device in Co Monaghan, near the border with Northern Ireland.

He faces charges of knowingly possessing an explosive improvised device, an offense under the Explosive Substances Act. The court heard that the device was allegedly stored within Collins Barracks, the National Museum where O'Donovan works. His case is scheduled for a further hearing before the Special Criminal Court on October 5, where he is expected to receive the book of evidence.

Separately, law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, has also been charged in connection with the same investigation. She was granted bail under strict conditions, including not contacting members of the republican political party Saoradh or the New IRA. Sullivan's defense claims she was unaware of the contents of a bag she was asked to transport and was "manipulated."